Mind over Latter
by xiXlToxiclXix
Summary: After a one-sided battle with his arch-nemesis, Sonic winds up unconscious outside Tails' house. The kitsune takes him in, but even he can see that something... or someone, has clearly messed with that object which is the blue blur's mind. More surprises approach, as their long-term enemy rambles about an identity; an identity which was taken from him...
1. The Lost and The Found

**Hi, all!**

**Well, this has been stuck in my head for a while. And I finally got down to getting it written.**

**Basically, Sonic's gonna' be a VERY SHOCKED hedgehog. But, I won't give anything away! : ) **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic the Hedgehog. All other related characters go to SEGA, respectively.**

**-S-**

The area was vivid, bright and green. Plants surrounded the vicinity of this particular spot, giving a more pure atmosphere. The blue sky hung high in the air, the fluffy clouds hitch-hiking on their soft winds.

Down below, two well known icons were rushing through the exotic place.

The blue blur ran for all he was worth, legs rushing through the harsh winds. The breeze bristled throughout his spiky, azure quills. A quirky grin fell on his muzzle, as he felt the infamous doctor's tantrum ring through his pricked ears.

The cheeky grin broadened. "Heh. Getting tired, Doc?"

A sweat drop fell down said human's forehead.

The 'Fastest Thing Alive' gave a shrug, slowly followed by a roll of his green eyes. "Sorry, pal, but I can't stick around to help clean up your toys."

The hedgehog bolted forward, his speed rapidly increasing, as did the scientist's machine.

Flipping over, the speedy, blue demon ran backwards, his hands gesturing with little disappointment. "C'mon, Egghead. We both know this race is over and done with! Might as well withdraw, unless ya' want to ace another HUMILIATING defeat, or a battered body."

The speaker, however, was merely joking. He was not the person for violence.

And, because of this, the warning wasn't taken seriously.

"We'll see about that threat, rat!"

Suddenly, a burst of azure light struck the humanoid machine, piercing the centre and leaving the remains to spark a couple of times. The light, blue burst faded, landing on the grassy ground, revealing the cocky hedgehog in it's place, smirking oh so proudly. "I'm a hedgehog, buddy. Don't you forget it!"

Moments after, the metal creature fell to the ground, it's inventor probably having yet another tantrum inside.

The ears could definitely detect it.

The blue hero shrugged. "You sure are a sore loser."

Moments of silence passed, and Sonic felt slight concern, watching the burning metal.

There wasn't any more noise, apart from the apparent sparking emitting from the metal remains.

Guilt was building up within his stomach, as he took a few steps forward.

Yet, he hesitated.

This was a bad guy. Not a good guy... but he still felt pity clouding his judgement.

The brim of his foot almost touched one of the many pieces of metal.

Something stirred under the wreckage, and the hedgehog tiled his head, stopping, and trying to see where the human was.

Something beneath the robotic rubble clicked loudly, as the ruins moved whilst giving an annoyed groan.

The blue hero could see the familiar attire. He could see the metal moving. He was certain of it now.

The scientist was fine.

He could see the gloved hands crawling out from underneath the robot's remains, and the scientist emerging from the debris.

"Ugh... On the contrary, my little, blue friend, it shan't be I who will lose!"

A shaped metal was suddenly aimed at the hedgehog's tanned chest, the owner's gloved finger resting on the odd material's trigger.

The mammal raised an eye ridge at the weapon, head tilting as he placed a hand on his muzzle. "New toy, already? That was fast."

The scientist managed to pull himself out from the rubble, the gun-like weapon still gripped in his hand. The previously mentioned being cracked a grin, malevolence tipping the structure. "Ah, yes. And if it serves it's purpose well, speed will be the least of your... responsibilities."

The blue creature came to dislike that grin. He folded his arms, eyes narrowing at both the doctor and the weapon. "Are ya' gonna' tell me what that thing does, or not?"

The demonic grin broadened. "Always impatient, aren't you, Sonic? But I'm afraid as to whether you'll be able to keep up with that..."

Sonic's face was literally, 'get-to-the-point' whilst his frown stated that he didn't like this.

The trigger clicked slightly, the owner's smirk impossible to miss. "I wouldn't dream of spoiling the surprise!"

The weapon instantly fired.

Sonic suddenly appeared on a nearby tree branch, dodging the odd stream of light, and showing his triumphant smile.

The doctor shook his free fist, obviously annoyed. "Nrgh! Hold still, hedgehog!"

The male mammal shook his head, hands shaking, ignoring the order completely. "Sorry. Not a chance, Doc."

Said scientist was about to give another tantrum, but firing a weapon at his arch-nemesis proved to be much more fun.

Laughing manically, he continued his futile attempts to shoot the irritating, blue blur, his persistence building drastically.

Sonic leapt on every tree branch, using them as a bridge whilst giving the appropriate, mocking poses.

The hedgehog tugged at one of his eyelids. "Too slow, buddy!"

The weapon fired again.

The mammal jumped to another tree top, before giving another mocking facade.

His tongue abruptly slipped out of his mouth, scorning the scientist further.

Angry mutterings where mentally spoken, as the villain aimed the weapon yet again.

Sonic yawned, stretching his arms and his legs.

The pale beam shot at him again.

He dodged, jumping to another tree, feeling the wind bristle through his quills as he did so.

However, something obstructed his path.

As he soared through the air, the natural vines belonging to the one of the many remaining trees seemed to wrap themselves around his leg, getting him tangled and unable to move.

A grim, un-amused frown fell on his muzzle, as he folded his arms, feeling the blood rushing from his legs.

The mad man, now grinning manically, stepped forward, the weapon held within his mucky, dusty fingers.

"Well, seems the tables have turned, my little, blue friend."

Sonic's expression remained full of boredom, as he gave a huge yawn.

Inside, the infamous doctor was somewhat disappointed in Sonic.

Truly... he was.

A simple vine was hindering the great Sonic the Hedgehog helpless? It was unheard of.

Of course, the cunning smile which soon fell on rodent's face suggested Eggman's previously said statement had been somewhat wrong.

Sonic's said expression lingered. "Heh. You gonna' shoot me with that?"

The trigger clicked slightly.

A moment of silence passed, as the two continued to stare in their respective manners.

Said cocky smile had vanished, replaced with a stern frown. "You do what you want; Egghead, but I'll be having none of it."

The red and white shoes soon became a blur, striking the natural lines erupting from the trees and slicing them in half. That blur soared in a circle, the legs chiselling away at the organic vines.

Eventually, the Doctor missed his chance.

The blue blur swung across the clearing, his feet landing firmly on the dirt. Kicking his heels, he turned his head, grinning cockily at the dumbfounded human. He turned around, his arms folding.

"So, gonna' give up, now?" The question was slick with that cocky nature, as if trying to ridicule the scientist even more.

The weapon fired once more.

The blue blur slid to the side, whilst shrugging slightly. An even cockier grin resurfaced. "Heh. Guess you never learn, eh?"

**-V-**

The yellow fox stood over the engine, wrench in his right hand, and the other glove fumbling about on the ground, searching for a small but much needed part.

When his hands failed to find them, he turned to look at the box, seeing parts un-ordered and everywhere. The engine remained open, as the fox proceeded to turn around fully to search the container. His head dove deep into the box, as he rooted through it.

Hands gripped the many parts, tools and metals, moving them slowly to the side, but carefully. They continued feeling about, the owner's blue eyes scanning the dark area of the box.

Stopping the search, the kitsune straightened, followed by a confused expression. He looked around the room, rubbing his ears, and searching for the needed item.

"That's odd. I could've sworn I put it in here." the fox mumbled to himself, eyeing the box with mild confusion.

The two tails drifted about as he walked towards his worktable, trailing as he moved each foot. The red and white shoes slammed quietly against the concrete ground of the garage.

The kitsune placed his gloved hands on the table, his eyes scanning for the part, whilst watching the schematics which were lying on the table with one eye.

The small amount of fur sticking up on his forehead moved about slightly, as the head glanced at every possible storage place.

He didn't normally misplace things this easily...

Wait. Had someone been in the garage?

Frowning, he pulled down another box from the shelves, still searching for the part, dismissively putting aside the thought that someone could have possibly stolen from him.

His hand pulled off the lid, and rooted through the box once more, knowing how the part would look or feel. The tongue was bit slightly as he did this, his eyes peering over the edge with confusion.

He didn't find what he was looking for.

The fox frowned further, before giving up and tilting the box to the side, gently tipping out the contents. Switching the table lamp on, he focused on the parts now surrounding every inch of the table. He continued staring at them for a moment, sometimes moving them to find out what lied beneath each piece.

He sighed, failing yet again.

Carefully, he began picking up the parts and placing them back inside the box, keeping in mind that he didn't want to break anything, else result in a tight spot of finding them again.

He turned around, and began leaning on the table, staring at the red plane which stood a few metres away from him.

He required new parts. Yes, he did. He felt the plane needed an upgrade, and unfortunately, he didn't have the parts required to do so.

He walked slowly over to the engine, intending on re-sealing the bonnet, and did so with a small, 'CLINK!'

Then, silence.

Nothing to do.

He looked out of the garage's door, eyes blinking for a moment.

Maybe he needed a walk? That might help a bit. Taking it slow and steady had proven good for the mind within the past.

Grabbing a small remote from his back, he walked out of the door's reach, standing on the path outside. He pressed the button on the control pad, sealing the door, and seeing the Tornado leave his sight.

He turned around, his gaze moving pavement. Stepping forward, he hid the 'key' to the garage yet again, and intended on resuming his stroll.

It wasn't a long walk, he supposed, but even he needed fresh air. He'd been in the garage for a while now, barely seeing much of his 'brother'.

The wind flew across his furry muzzle, which gave a small smile at the gesture. Eyes flickered upwards, seeing the fluffy clouds up in the sky, the glistening sunlight cracking between them.

He sighed.

He turned his attention to the dirt path, 'I sure picked a good day to come out—.'

He stopped.

Blue orbs rolled to the side, spotting something on the grass, and, untimely, widening in shock.

Something **blue** was lying there, unconscious.

**-S-**

**Oh, who do you think it is? Or is that too easy?**

**So, any idea what's happened? 'Cause I don't! *Gives a knowing grin***

**Who wants this continuing? :D**

**Feedback is awesome, and essential! **

**-Toxic : )**


	2. Laughter

The fox towed in the blue creature by the shoulders, giving appropriate grunts as he did so.

Although some parts of the garage were a wreck, Tails took it upon himself that he'd have to get through it all, sooner or later, anyway.

The Tornado stood there, towering over the young kitsune like a mere skyscraper.

He quickly flashed a brief thought, before lifting his friend off the ground, spinning his two, propeller tails. They twirled elegantly, as the kid placed the unconcious mammal onto the wing of the plane.

He landed on the ground once more, and then silently glanced at his blue buddy, puzzlement tickling the edge of his mind.

The hedgehog was littered with bruises, yet, the wounds seemed quite vague within that sea of blue pelt. There were purple bags, yet again, faint, underneath those lifeless eyelids. Those strong, muscle-y legs were twitching in an uncontrolable way, bluntly worsening Tails' present theory. Everything else seemed to be in order, but the fox felt something odd as he watched in an observant manner.

Dread...

Shuddering, the fox folded his arms, wrapping them around himself.

Something was wrong. Terribly wrong. He felt that in his stomach somewhere... churning.

Maybe... maybe something horrible DID happen... And... and... he might not-

No! This was Sonic he was talking about. The guy always pulled through.

The fox smiled thoughtfully. 'He always does.'

Silence protruded the room for a few more moments, before Tails broke it with his footsteps.

After such matter had been mulled over, the fox rushed out of the room via the living room door, his red and white shoes softly pattering against the floor.

As he continued his path, questions flew into his mind. How could this happen? What HAD happened? Did his friend need medical attention? Or was it just an odd trip?

'No,' Tails answered within his mind. 'Even Sonic isn't that clumsy. Granted, he's reckless, but not clumsy. But then...' The kitsune placed a gloved finger on his frowning, furry muzzle. He finished his question aloud, "...what could have done that?"

That question baffled him a moment, but he quickly came to his senses, and noticed the new room he had entered.

Overall, the room was quite simple; having a small yet efficent set of furniture. A glass coffee table was sat in the midst of the seating, hovering over a plain, white rug. A few steps away from that, along the longer aside, was a white sofa. And, beside the shorter, right side, was a wooden wicker chair. An end table lingered beside that and the other seat, topped by an in-active lamp.

A nine-pane window sat behind the couch, leaving the bright sunlight blinding Tails' young eyes, which he quickly dismissed by shielding his seeing inceptors. Plain wallpaper was plastered around the room, underlayed by wooden flooring.

His blue orbs passed over two, fluffed-up cushions on the nearby wicker armchair, to which he immediately brightened with recognition. Within moments, he had already placed the two, light objects on the sofa's arm.

He briefly looked the place over, wondering whether it would be uncomfortable, or not.

The fox figured it would have to do for the moment; it was better than hurting your back on solid metal.

An ear flicked, and then pricked, as Tails heard a small amount of ruckus emitting from the garage.

Tails' soft, pattering footsteps sounded once more, as the fox made his way towards the garage, high-tailing it out of the living room. He passed through the door frame within a second, gripping the edge of the entrance and flinging himself around it.

Granted, he'd heard a few bangs, but he didn't remember anything hanging from the shelves, or any other such matter which could have caused the racket.

His gaze darted to the wing of the plane.

'Oh, no...'

Sonic was nowhere to be seen, or found, for that matter.

He heard a clatter.

Nope. It was quite plausible that the objects, or whatever it was that fell, weren't the only thing that slipped, and came to a crash within the concrete ground.

The twin tails spun once more, rapidly twisting in a three-sixty manner.

The young kitsune scanned the wreckage below, which remained motionless behind the wing of the aircraft. He continued hovering whilst doing this, being careful not to hit his head on the ceiling.

Groans filled the air, closely followed by a clatter of various parts, which once resided in the small box Tails had set down earlier. The parts littered the floor like dust, covering it so you could barely see the ground itself.

His eyes quickly passed the blue hedgehog in question, to which worry sparked.

The groaning figure's body seemed quite disorientated. A gloved hand was rubbing its owner's temple, confirming that someone had a severe whack to the head.

Tails landed on the wing, avoiding standing on his vital, or minor, plane parts.

He smiled sheepishly at his brother, yet worry brimmed the end of his nervous grin. "Are you all right, Sonic?"

The boy's hand was pushed outwards, gesturing for the blue blur to take it.

The blue blur didn't even look at him. "Gah! 'All right'?" Disgust, or annoyance, seemed to brew in that sentence, and his usual, cocky voice seemed slightly off. The mammal snapped once more, not seeming to care for the fox's concern. "How do you suppose I am?"

'Why is Sonic so snappy?' The fox pondered over that question, unable to come up with an answer.

Sonic stared at his brother, as if saying, 'Well?'

Tails tilted his head a moment, before pulling a confused expression. "Well... I guess you... I just wanted to make sure, that's all."

The kid, moving his gaze to the ground, felt as if he was being glared at.

He was.

Sonic was, indeed, glaring at him. In such a way, that it didn't seem friendly, nice, or full of concern.

Lifting his head, Tails couldn't suppress a frown. "What's wrong?"

A few moments of silence passed, and it seemed quite horrible to the fox.

The hedgehog remained silent, almost as if he was lost in thought. The blank expression had overlapped the glare, leaving the yellow creature to breathe a little easier. Yet, that thoughtful face changed a few moments later.

Tails didn't understand what was going on. He hadn't any idea what could've happened. Sonic didn't normally snap at him like that. Nor would he glare at his little brother like that. They were buds, right? Buddies didn't normally do that.

"Sonic? Did something happen?"

Tails spotted one of Sonic's trademark smiles, except... something was odd about it. The corner of the grin was curving upwards, forming some sort of demonic smirk, if narrowed eyes were applied.

There it was. Narrowed eyes did make it seem deliberate.

Tails twitched an ear, and watched as the blue one crossed his arms.

"Heh, heh, heh..."

Sonic chuckled to himself in a hysterical way, until it evolved into manical laughter. He lied back on the pieces of metal, and began kicking his feet in tune with his sudden outburst. His eyes were closed, and a small droplet was leaking from his eyes, as if he'd seen the funniest thing ever.

The fox wondered what the joke was.

The fastest thing alive continued this act, barely able to contain his true laughter.

Problem? His voice seemed a little different, leaving a certain fox on the edge of suspicion, but even he wasn't so sure about it.

Tails gave a concerned look, rubbing the back of his skull. "I think you hit your head too hard."

-S-

AN: Sorry for the wait. My laptop decided to play dead, so I'm using a tablet to type this up. Most annoying thing to do, but it does the job!

Disclaimer: We all know I don't own Sonic the Hedgehog and co., so let's get this over with. I don't own 'em; all related characters go to SEGA.

Any thoughts? 


	3. Realisation

All was quiet in the midst of the smouldering wreckage, uniquely tipped by a pang of dread.

Metal surrounded every edge, every shadow, and every brink of the clearing, disoriented, and bent in an awkwardly uncaring manner. The dents in the many surfaces were in a horrible state, nothing more than the usual treatment given by the world's saviour; battered and blasted apart.

Several trees were singed by the flickering, orange flames; their burnt leaves swept away in the incoming winds. The gust of wind was meek, and weak, strangely. Yet, that faint breeze held enough power to spread the culprit's flames further than initially intended.

Splutters escaped the vast ruins, being loud, undeclaringly annoyed, frustrated, or however it seemed. The present smoke caused this consequence quite easily, quickly and painfully to the being's throat, not having the decency to give pity; why would it?

As the smoke faded, the spluttering gradually grew to silent end. Although, it was not until after the charcoal cloud completely passed, that the coughing ceased.

A round figure emerged from the torched rubble, pushing aside the debris with little effort, and smudging those white gloves with charcoal. Metal was thrown away, hitting a random tree, and striking fear into birds' nests.

"Ugh…" the grumble sounded, as the owner of the pained groan rubbed his temples.

That trademark, brilliant red jacket was seething under the dark dust, begging to have its unwelcome visitors thrown aside. The situation could have, consistantly, been the same for those long, dark pants, whose material was covered with the horrid substance. Alas, those calls for that dust-off action were unheeded.

The figure stumbled about as he tried to stand, only to be thrown back to the ground by either his giant stomach, or the strong gust of wind that had flown by, moments before his failed attempt to stand.

His head momentarily shook, shortly followed by a small intake of oxygen. And, to his displeasure, he inhaled remnants of the parting smoke. A ragged cough escaped his gob, ticking him off a little more inside. A clenched fist tried to subdue the trouble.

The sun shone brightly in the distance, before evolving into a meek, beautiful, well-toned sunset. Nature was tweeting its farewells to the light, and bidding its greetings to the night.

Those goggles peered about the clearing, recognition lighting up behind those lens. "Huh. So am still in this clearing? …Figures."

He peered about the area, seeing remnants of what was once a tall, metal creature, torn to pieces by a mere hedgehog in less than a minute. What sort of back-up plan was that, anyway? These days, whatever was built would be brought to ruins within seconds, or even micro-seconds.

Gloved hands rubbed drowzy eyes, and soon after, temples. "Man, do I have a heck of a headache…" Said motion continued for a few moments, blocking out the bleak sunlight which cracked through the singed trees.

This action soon grew to an end, as the hands promptly fell to the floor, caving in the lush, grassy ground.

Throwing thoughts of his headache and landscapes aside, the being decided to look himself over, just to check for any unrecognised wounds or bruises. You couldn't be too careful.

Again, he tried to pull his obese body off the ground, and, with success, he did so.

"Finally!" The guy breathed in, only to come to realisation. "ACK! …Oh, right. The smoke." A facepalm occurred, and then the male resumed his search for any physical damage. Goggles drifted their gaze downwards, and then upwards.

Everything looked okay.

Now, he just had to get back to-

"Wait a sec…" He looked himself again, shock and confusion altering his features. "What the…?" Quickly noticing his attire, his brow rose in surprise, "HUH? Just WHO am I lookin' at?"

Silence passed.

More silence.

The, 'scientist,' paused for what seemed to be five minutes. Never said a word. Not even a small one.

Observing himself had merely rendered him as speechless as a vaccum, no particles for sound to travel through; not that anything was spoken, anyway.

Pacing awkwardly, the investigation to find an answer continued, becoming more brisk and rushed than ever before.

The key to finding the solution lied in the past, thus, that's exactly where he looked.

"Lemme' see…" An absent-minded finger was placed on his chin. "What EXACTLY did that do-hickey do? Can't be that hard to get…" Gestures were thrown towards his body. "I mean, come on! I don't look like this all the time. In fact, I look a little like…"

A pause began.

'Ah, yes. And if it serves its purpose well, speed will be the least of your… responsibilities.'

"…EGGMAN?" Remembrance hit him square in the face. "Jeez, I have gotta' stop messin' with stuff… Now I look like I've had far too many chilidogs for my own good!" He deadpanned to the readers. "Do you have any idea how long it'd take to burn off these calories?" Follow a shudder, "I don't think I wanna' know. Might be Christmas by then. Either way, he ain't worked out much. It's like he ate a massive sub-sandwich and never took a jog since…"

A twig snapped behind him, so loudly that new ears were able to hear them.

The puzzled figure turned, and stared, watching the nearest bush.

The plant shook.

He glared daggers. "Alright, come out, Eggman!"

Quiet sounds were silenced.

Two, beady eyes stared at him innocently through the bush, and the head of a small mammal popped out, hesitantly.

A sigh escaped the human's mouth. "And, I'm talking to a squirrel, now. Great. Maybe I should be questioning the Doc's sanity levels…?"

The tiny creature stumbled back into the green brambles.

Shaking his head, the person stared seriously at the ground. "I'm gonna' hope that the crazy dude just turned me into an Eggman, cos if he's swapped bodies…" Shivers reverbrated along his spine, "…then everybody's in big trouble."

Despite his hope, Sonic the Hedgehog knew one thing: he was well and truly stumped.

s-S-s

No thoughts on this… apart from I miss ordinary typing! DX

Is anyone reading this?

Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic the Hedgehog. All characters go to SEGA. 


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